GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Most people don’t think about what happens after a hospital stay – until they or someone they love gets stuck in “discharge limbo.” You’re ready to leave, but there’s nowhere to go. The hospital can’t find a rehab bed, paperwork is lost in fax land, and suddenly, you’re spending another night in a $3,000 hospital room.
That’s the mess a Michigan startup called “BedConnect” has taken on – and turned into a $325,000 victory at the state’s Grand Rapids PitchMI competition, a high-stakes, statewide “Shark Tank–style” startup competition at the end of September. The event was hosted by the Michigan State University (MSU) Research Foundation and Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
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BedConnect is one of four regional winners who will advance to the statewide championship next spring.
Fixing a broken system one bed at a time.
Led by CEO Lindsay Joseph, BedConnect is like Expedia for hospital discharges. The platform lets hospitals instantly see which nursing homes and rehab centers actually have open beds – no more endless calls or faxes. It’s a simple fix for one of healthcare’s most expensive and stressful logjams.
According to BedConnect, the delays in syncing up a patient with a post-acute provider affects everyone involved: patients experience longer hospital stays, delayed recovery, and disrupted care continuity; hospitals have backed-up emergency departments, missed revenue, and higher length of stay costs; post-acute providers have missed referrals and occupancy gaps.
Delayed hospital discharges known as “bed blocking” can cost hospitals a lot of money and tie up beds that could go to new patients. Studies estimate delayed discharges cost U.S. hospitals billions annually. To make matters worse, desperate families often find themselves cold-calling nursing homes at 2 a.m. in search of a spot for a loved one. BedConnect aims to end that chaos.
Small company, big impact.
Before this win, BedConnect had quietly been building steam: graduating from Ann Arbor SPARK’s Entrepreneurial Bootcamp, earning support from the SBDC (Small Business Development Center), and catching the eye of Corewell Health Ventures, one of Michigan’s largest healthcare investors.
Now, they’re headed to the statewide finals next April – with a shot at another $1 million in funding. That could expand the service across Michigan, meaning faster care transitions, shorter hospital stays, and a lot less stress for patients and families.
